


Ramblings on the Infamous Puppy Episode

by Katblu42



Category: Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman & Related Fandoms, Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman | Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Genre: Mad Science, Major Character Injury, Near Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katblu42/pseuds/Katblu42
Summary: This might be an episode review, it might be an invitation to debate some ideas.Basically it's whatever thoughts tumbled through my head as I re-watched Episode 20: A Critical Moment For the Science Ninja Team.
Kudos: 3





	Ramblings on the Infamous Puppy Episode

**Author's Note:**

> Comments (arguments?) most welcome!  
> (Spoilers for other episodes including #73 and #105)

Recently the question of which episode I would call my favourite has had me thinking long and hard. While I don’t think I can go so far as to choose just one favourite, the question has inspired me to take an in depth look at this episode. For reasons I have previously never tried to explain it is one of my favourites, despite its many failings. I mean, I also hate this episode. There are many good things about it though, many of them to do with the development of the characters. Every time I watch this episode I see something more in the actions and expressions of our favourite team of heroes. It also raises more questions!

I’ve never written an episode review before – and I’m not sure that’s what this is. Maybe it’s more of an essay, or a discussion piece? I don’t know what to call it. Essentially I’m just writing down all the stuff tumbling out of my head as I think back on episode 20 of Gatchaman, “A Critical Moment for the Science Ninja Team.” I welcome comments and debate on what I have to say, and hope at least some of it makes sense!  
For the record, I watched the episode in Japanese with English subtitles – I prefer this despite not understanding very much Japanese. There is just something so expressive about the acting from the original cast that adds meaning to the translations I’m reading. (I have also watched the episode with the dub and I know there are some slight differences in the dialogue.)

********

So, the episode begins with spooky flute and tympani music and the obligatory destruction by the latest weird Galactor mecha – a Mole. (Just as an aside, there is a sound in the scene with the train in the tunnel that reminds me of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan yell – just as one train carriage is thrown across the path of the driver’s compartment.) We see Katse ordering the appropriately costumed Captain of the Week to go nuts with the destruction and lure out the Science Ninja Team – obviously confident the Mole can destroy them. Dr Nambu sees the evidence of this destructive rampage and tells Ken to assemble the team. So far all pretty run-of-the-mill. We’re off to a good start. Then we descend into madness!

We see Joe in the G2 racing to join up with the rest of the team in the God Phoenix. We know he’s late, but we are never told why. It’s interesting that when Joe apologises for being late Ken says he understands. He doesn’t ask for an explanation – maybe now is not the time, or maybe he knows why already. I am quite curious, but it’s not integral to the story! 

Now we get a bunch of “why is this taking so long?” and “why is he so far away?” moments. This link up sequence is just really drawn out. It seems that despite the abandoned cars and debris on the streets, Joe has found a stretch of road where the link-up with the God Phoenix can take place, and they are close enough for the clamps that lift and hold the G2 in place to be deployed when Joe sees the puppy. He stops the car for ages, watching the puppy nudging and whining at its dead mother. You see his expression change and I wonder what he’s thinking. “Poor little thing. Doesn’t realise its mother isn’t going to wake up. Bloody Galactor bastards!” Presumably he then remembers he has a job to do and resumes driving. He is very quickly in a position to re-attempt link up, then suddenly turns back, just as the clamps at the front of the God Phoenix are trying to lock on to the G2. Now he drives quite a long way heading back to the puppy, all the while looking up at the approaching Mole mecha. It didn’t seem like he had driven this far after stopping the first time, so why is the drive back taking so long? Then why does he stop the car so far from the puppy? He has to run so far to get from the car to the crater (Mole footprint?) where the puppy is trying to wake its mother. Why couldn’t he get closer? He was closer when he stopped before.

Please take note that all this is happening against a backdrop of buildings, rubble, concrete, dirt, stone – all very urban in various shades of grey or brown. Remember this for later.

There is a really cool re-write of this episode by Dragosnbain that I read a while ago on Gatchfanfic. This re-write gives a very plausible explanation for why the driving and running stuff happens this way. The Mole mecha is tunnelling under the city, breaking up through subway tunnels and the like, undermining the city’s roadways and infrastructure. This would make it hard for Joe to find solid ground to drive on and could explain why he suddenly couldn’t get back to an area he’d just driven over. (Dragonsbain also has an explanation for Joe being late . . . and some other really cool stuff. I remember really enjoying reading the story.)

Anyway. So, Ken reacts accordingly, wondering what the hell Joe’s doing, but something in Joe’s answer about saving the puppy must change his mind, or at least tell Ken that it’s no use trying to talk Joe out of this one. We’ve seen these two get pretty heated with their differing opinions on how to accomplish a mission before, so this quick back-down is either Ken understanding the quickest solution here is not to argue, or Ken knowing something about Joe that makes this behaviour understandable, or a bit of both. Ken orders Ryu to give Joe cover – to keep the Mole busy while Joe is running that curiously long distance back to the puppy - and the Mole is firing lasers etc. Yep, lots of Joe running towards the puppy, who is barking like crazy at the massive Mole, which starts firing lasers at Joe. He finally reaches the diminutive dog, picks it up and starts the long run back, still dodging laser fire. I’m wondering (again) if it wouldn’t have been better to stay in the relative safety of the car and get as close to the pup as possible. Surely the G2 offers better protection against . . . well, everything than just the Birdstyle combat gear. But there might have been a reason that the Tatsunoko folk didn’t have time to explain (like unstable ground caused by the Mole mecha’s underground activities) for the vast distance Joe needs to cover on foot.

Now, as Joe begins his long run back to the G2 with the puppy tucked under his protective wing, just before we see the arrival of the God Phoenix, we see a missile fly past the Mole’s face. Was this fired from the God Phoenix? How could this be? Joe and the G2 are not aboard. It can’t have been a Bird Missile, so does the God Phoenix have other missiles that it has never fired before? (This would also explain how Joe is able to fire a missile into the field of Jigokillers in episode 39 even though Ken and his Cessna/G1 are not aboard the God Phoenix! Although he does say he’s going to fire a Bird Missile in that episode, which should have been impossible, but I digress.) Maybe the missile was fired by some other friendly military source that we don’t see . . . or perhaps we’re just not supposed to notice. The Mole mecha prepares to fire missiles of its own – first at the God Phoenix, but that one misses. Having missed the God Phoenix and destroyed another building with that last missile the Mole mecha returns its attention to firing at Joe, who is still running all that way back to the car. (Why all the running? *sigh*)

Joe, with puppy in hand, dodges the laser fire and manages to dive for cover before the missile hits, but the resulting shrapnel does the damage – penetrating the helmet and causing him to let go of the puppy, grab his head, cry out in agony and roll, then become still as he presumably passes out. (I wonder if Dr Nambu and certain departments of the ISO had to design better helmets for the team after this. It must have caused concern that the team were not better protected from flying debris/large weapons fire.) When Joe stops rolling and passes out he has half of his cape/wings underneath him (which I think is really cool animation to have the cape/wings twist around him as he rolls). The twisted cape doesn’t last long. In the blink of an eye the cape is no longer beneath him. *sigh*

Meanwhile, aboard the God Phoenix, Ryu informs the team that Joe’s been hit and Ken orders him to turn the ship around and go back to Joe. They all see Joe lying prone (with the puppy nudging and licking at him) and exclaim as one, “Joe!” The background silence here is awesome. Ken orders Ryu to land, but the Mole mecha surfaces in front of them. When did the Mole disappear underground? I know their attention was on Joe for a minute, but surely someone should have been keeping track of where the mecha went?! And, surely the bad guys would not have any reason to disappear and give the good guys time to take stock of what just happened to their team-mate. Wouldn’t they have struck while the iron was hot? Missed opportunity there, Galactor boys! Well, now that it has returned the Mole keeps the team aboard the God Phoenix busy – hits them with the lasers, swipes them with its claws. Things are looking grim . . . until the sun comes up. Apart from writers who dream up convenient plot devices, who in their right mind designs a monster terrorist machine that cannot go out in the sun? Did they learn nothing from the giant ant? This is a backward step in Galactor’s technology, surely! *sigh* Still, it gives the team the escape they need and enables them to land.

I love the silence used in this ep. It just fits. Silence earlier when we saw Joe’s prone form and then the shocked members of the team on the God Phoenix, and again now as we pan out from the empty driver's seat to the outside of the G2, then an overhead of the God Phoenix (now having landed) and each of the other four members of the Science Ninja Team standing, stunned. 

This is where I ask you to think back to where Joe and the G2 were when I told you to remember! During that lovely silence we see the God Phoenix has landed close to the G2, parked on the grass. Joe is now also lying on the grass, and his cape/wings are draped across his back (with the puppy standing atop and licking at Joe’s back). Has this miraculous change of scenery coincided with the sunrise? The sky is definitely a paler shade of blue now, but could that brown, grey background of dirt and stone and destroyed buildings really have turned out to be lush, green grass and enough open space to land a large warship? I can’t believe that anyone has moved Joe and the G2 so they can all stand around on the grass staring at him. This is such an annoying Tatsunoko continuity error. *sigh*

So, each member of the Science Ninja Team is evidently so stunned at the sight of their big, tough Joe lying injured that they all forget any first aid training they might have. Ken is fighting back the tears, Jinpei and Jun openly cry. I hate that none of them even thinks to check and see if he’s alive – find a pulse or something. But I do kind of like the idea that for the first time they all remember how fragile their lives are and it literally stuns them into inaction. They are, after all, teenagers – at that age where you really do think you will live forever. They have suddenly, brutally been reminded of exactly how dangerous their job is, and I think it has come as a shock that they might lose (or might have lost) a beloved member of their team. In that moment I guess they’re all kind of thinking “Joe’s dead. How could this happen? It could have been any one of us. How do we deal with this? What do we do now?” It’s as though the team members’ mortality is suddenly frighteningly real. Up until this point there’s been an almost romantic notion of giving their lives for the cause, fighting to the death to defeat the bad guys. But the vivid reality of how close their job brings them to dying (or losing a team-mate) has dealt them a massive emotional blow.

I also believe that part of this heavy emotional impact is because Joe is the one most likely to be looking out for the rest of the team. We’ve already seen some examples of this – as early as episode 2 Joe sends Jinpei in after Ken, somehow knowing that Ken would need help (and also giving Jinpei the chance to prove himself to his Commander, who point blank said he couldn’t go with him), and in episode 18 it’s Joe who expresses concern for Jinpei when he goes out alone to fight off the killer whales (and saves him from one). Having noticed this hint of protectiveness in Joe, I now see it in quite a few little moments throughout the series – but maybe I’m kind of looking for it! Of course the loss of any member of the team would be felt keenly (and we see examples of this with each of them in later episodes), but I think Joe’s proven dependability is a key reason for the depth of emotion at his loss (both here and in episode 105).

Further illustrating this strange state of emotional shock is Jinpei’s super uncharacteristic next move. I actually like this for the same reason I stated above – Jinpei’s shock at the loss of someone dear to him has him so rattled he’s lashing out, looking for someone to blame and the innocent puppy is the closest choice to pin it on. The proven animal lover picks up a stick (which at one point changes so it is shaped like a small baseball bat) to hit the puppy with, blaming the poor dog for Joe’s “death”. This is the same kid who wanted to adopt an orphaned baby whale just two episodes ago! There’s a similar out-of-character moment from Ryu as he echoes Jinpei’s mood. Ken steps in and reminds them the dog is not to blame, then it gets really interesting. Ken gives us one of the earliest insights into Joe’s backstory. (Joe tells us in episode 18 that Galactor killed his parents.) The subtitle line from Ken is “This puppy is a shadow of Joe from the past.” I think this hints at a closeness between Ken and Joe – they know stuff about each other that they don’t talk about, and that the rest of the team might not know.

Okay, I find myself asking at this point why Joe needed to save this puppy so badly. Isn’t this out of character for him? Mr hot-head, always wanting to fire the Bird Missiles first and ask questions later suddenly turns out to be an animal lover? This is one of the reasons I love this episode. It’s a chance to really see Joe’s softer side and it kind of takes everyone by surprise – except maybe Ken. Ken’s comment to the team about Joe seeing a similarity between the puppy and his own past is one of our first glimpses at Joe’s history, and a clue to how close Joe and Ken are. Ken tells the team that Joe’s parents were killed by Galactor. Ken’s the only one of the team who seems to see why Joe couldn’t abandon the pup. Another interesting point to consider is that it’s also the first, but not the only time we see Joe put animals first – we see it again in episode 73 Pursue Katse, when Joe doesn’t fire the Bird Missile because of the herd of gazelle (?) in the way. He has a tough exterior at times, but he’s not heartless. He is often the first person to speak up about the potential loss of innocent lives a Galactor attack will cause if the team don’t step in. There’s a third point I want to bring up here. I choose to believe this puppy is a she – then this episode also gives us the first example of Joe being unable to resist a damsel in distress, and how getting involved ultimately comes back to hurt him. At least this girl doesn’t turn out to work for Galactor!

Jun is suddenly so overcome with emotion she throws herself on top of him, sobbing out a plea for Joe to please wake up. His slight movement in response finally snaps the rest of them out of their lack of action and Ken suggests they all carry him together to the God Phoenix. Um . . . really?! I would have thought checking for other injuries, fetching some sort of stretcher or even calling Dr Nambu for advice at this point might have been on the cards, but maybe no one has thought to teach anyone on the team decent first aid. Maybe Joe is the team’s first aid officer! Perhaps this incident will cause Dr Nambu (and other relevant ISO staff) to demand all members of the team have proper first aid training!

Anyway, Ken tells Joe to hang in there, Jinpei wants to know what they should do about the puppy and Ken wants to leave it behind, but Joe mumbles “doggy” and he decides they should bring the pup back with them. Again, this is a bit strange, unless it’s something Ken is doing for Joe – an indicator of their closeness, Ken wanting to do whatever he can for his badly injured best friend/brother. By the way, does anyone else wonder what happens to the dog after this episode? We never see her again, nor is she ever mentioned in future episodes. I wonder if she ended up as some kind of unofficial mascot for an ISO department closely related to the SNT (so Joe could come and visit), such as the engineering team, or Joe’s race mechanics.

At this point I wonder what they did with the G2. They must have got it on board the God Phoenix before returning to base. Who drove it so it could be picked up? How do you get the G2 in place on the God Phoenix if it is stationary (if that is at all possible)? And, once it was on board, why didn’t they leave it in place just in case the team (and the God Phoenix) were required again – which of course is inevitable? Or did someone have to drive it back to wherever they took Joe for treatment? I guess I’ll never know!

The scene ends with Ken looking into the (literal) puppy dog eyes and almost crying.

Joe finally makes it to some kind of medical facility, and is now out of Birdstyle (and I wonder how that transformation occurred – was he conscious enough to say the command himself, or did they have to remove his bracelet? Is there some kind of failsafe Dr Nambu has for triggering the transformation sequence in an emergency?). There are no bandages in sight, which is interesting considering the information Dr Nambu gives us in a minute. Ken is practically begging Dr Nambu to save Joe. Dr Nambu shows the team (and us) the X-ray of Joe’s skull. With the team members imploring the Doc to save Joe, he explains that it would be impossible to remove the metal fragment from “the most sensitive portion” of Joe’s brain using conventional surgery – there’s nothing they can do. (What is the most sensitive portion of a person’s brain, I wonder?) Ken doesn’t accept this and then Dr Nambu comes up with the most stupid idea ever. He does explain that this centrifuge idea could be really dangerous (duh!), or even deadly for Joe but it’s the only option. (Really!?!! *sigh*) The quote is that if anything goes wrong Joe’s “body will be torn to pieces.” How is that the safe option here?!! (I reckon sticking a magnet in the hole in Joe’s skull and seeing if you can rip the metal fragment out that way would have equal medical validity!) This is probably the absolute worst “genius” idea Dr Nambu has in this whole series. How on earth can hoping the metal fragment rips its way out of Joe’s head due to centrifugal force be a better/safer/less lethal option than an operation? (*Give up on sighing and palm forehead!*)

Ken pleads with the Doc, saying that Joe will die if they do nothing, that the team can’t do their job if the God Phoenix doesn’t have Joe and the G2 on board, that Joe’s young and strong and healthy and it’s worth a shot. (I wonder why these arguments were not applied to attempting surgery. *sigh*). I find Dr Nambu’s expression during this section really interesting. He does those long blinks, like he’s really tired – or trying not to show how upset he is. It certainly gives the impression that Dr Nambu is hesitant about the centrifuge solution (with bloody good reason!!!).

After the ad break the narrator explains all about the centrifuge for us and we see Joe carried in. Even unconscious he somehow looks like he’s scowling! His head is now bandaged, and once he has been strapped into the centrifuge he is also suddenly (and inexplicably) blindfolded. “Treatment” begins, the machine spinning, but it’s not working so Nambu orders the machine operator to increase the intensity sixfold – seems like an odd amount, but okay. That’s not working so Nambu orders him to increase by a factor of 10. The machine operator chooses now to express how crazy this is – body-torn-to-pieces crazy! He hesitates, but does as ordered. We all get dizzy from the shot of the spinning lights increasing in speed. The team can’t watch. Nambu watches the red light flash and the needle approaching a maximum reading, sweating, then concedes defeat and shuts it down. Everyone is so dejected by this failure as the ominous musical chord is heard. There’s a lot of unspoken emotion shown in this episode, which is really cool.

Before anyone has a chance to think, we have the messenger run in to tell us the Mole has re-appeared. (So getting Joe back to Nambu, having his condition assessed and chucking him in the centrifuge for a bit has taken all day.) Nambu gives the order for the team to move out, but they don’t want to go. Understandable. It’s been a pretty gut-wrenching day! Jinpei sits down and loudly voices his protest, Jun doesn’t want to leave Joe all alone on his deathbed, and Ryu agrees, but the ever-dutiful Ken turns and begins to walk away. He throws a parting shot at the others to guilt them into leaving, asking if they think Joe would be happy seeing them all hanging around here instead of fighting the bad guys. And Nambu adds the clincher with “Aren’t you the Science Ninja Team?” The equivalent of asking if they are men or mice. I like the way Jinpei delivers a defiant “All right, we’re going!” remark here. And we get to see how much Nambu cares about his young charges when he promises (to himself more than anyone else) that he will save Joe no matter what. (Awwww.)

Despite being at death’s door Joe is able to raise his bandaged and blindfolded head and it looks like he starts to smile. I’m kind of unsure why this shot is even here, unless it’s to foreshadow what comes later (or to emphasise the fact that no one has thought to remove him from the machine, or pay him any attention since the machine was shut down!).

We get to see more Mole caused chaos and destruction, a fiery sky as the UN planes do their best to dodge the swatting of the Mole claws and the lasers. Of course the UN planes and ground forces are never going to win. The God Phoenix arrives with nose cone still retracted. Why? Just to show us that the G2 is not aboard? Surely they could close the nose cone regardless of whether the car is inside. And why isn’t the car inside? If they had it in place to bring it back to whichever facility Joe was taken to for treatment, why did they take it out? Or maybe I was right before and some poor mug had to drive it back? Anyway, if they had kept the G2 in place at the front of the God Phoenix they would surely have had their best weapons at their disposal, so why did no-one think of this? Convenient plot point?

Ryu knows they are in trouble and is feeling like they should just give up, prompting Ken to give a pep talk – basically saying you can’t give up, and we will win even without Joe. Jinpei points out the absence of their best weapons without Joe’s car (see?!! They should have taken it with them!! *sigh*). Jun’s just remembered this too and asks why they are even bothering. Ken is rattled now – he’s sweating. Has he just made a massive tactical error? He is the tactical expert, isn’t he? He really is more affected than he’s trying to show.

We cut to Joe climbing out of the centrifuge – why has no-one settled him back into a comfy bed somewhere? He staggers out of the building – why has no-one noticed? What kind of security does this facility have? He collapses and drags himself to the G2 – which is unguarded, so there is still no-one to see him and raise the alarm. He has trouble focusing his vision – just in case we hadn’t remembered that he’s very sick! Joe is in civvies, but the G2 is in battlemode and I’m left wondering again about the transformation process. Obviously the team members can transform independently of the vehicles, but then how do you transform the vehicle after the fact so you can match everything up? Is there a special button for that? (Too much like Speed Racer’s Mach 5?!) If Joe transformed into Birdstyle now would the G2 transform back into a Skyline? And why doesn’t Joe transform into Birdstyle? Would it aggravate the head injury? (It probably would, I mean they transform by being blasted with microwaves, so it’s not particularly safe at the best of times!)

Back to the Mole Mecha, generally causing terrifying havoc – tunnelling, shooting lasers, firing missiles. The God Phoenix takes a hit, and when all on board recover from the impact Jun spots Joe weaving all over the road, racing to meet them. Is this head injury really as bad as we were made to believe - he’s managing to drive, find and head for the God Phoenix and avoid the unstable ground the Mole has created? Pretty amazing if you ask me. ;)

Nambu has finally discovered Joe is missing! I wonder if he had a bit of a panicked search around the facility (or sent security staff on a panicked search) before telling the others. At least he’s smart enough to guess Joe’s probably trying to join up with the rest of the team, “wringing out his last ounce of strength.” I’m a bit baffled by the comment “When he gets there I’ll leave it up to you.” Leave what up to them? Looking after Joe? They did such an average job of that earlier. 

Anyway, we see the G2 hook up with the God Phoenix – Joe has been concentrating so hard on trying to drive the car straight for the clamps to grab on that his determined grimace makes him look buck-toothed. I think this is the first time we see the stubborn determination Joe has to push through the pain barrier and do everything in his power to be there for the team (or perhaps the motivation is to fight Galactor, or both). In fact it’s the first time we’ve seen anything like this from any of them, and it’s a pretty spectacular effort! We see similar determination to fight on while injured from other team members in later episodes. I call that “doing a Joe” because I’m sure this moment had a lasting impact on the others!

The God Phoenix takes another laser hit before we see Joe stagger out of the lift (or elevator) doors in the command deck. (I wonder how he managed to negotiate that tunnel he normally has to slide himself along backwards, headfirst. That can’t have been easy, or comfortable!) The punishment the Mole Mecha is dishing out jostles the God Phoenix around and Jun declares that “Joe’s going to die at this rate!” and she catches him as he falls. Joe stoically tells them not to worry about him and use the Firebird, which Ken refuses saying Joe can’t take it in his condition.

I love Joe’s response. He knows that with no way of getting the shrapnel out of his head he is going to die, but he wants to make his death count. If I wasn’t already a little bit in love with Joe, that comment would probably be enough to tip the scale! It must have had a big impact on Ken too because he is crying, and a tear drop falls onto Joe’s cheek (which is kind of a weird little detail – complete with Joe’s reaction as the tear splashes under his eye).

Suddenly, and with no explanation, Joe is writhing in agony. (That tear drop falling on his cheek must have just been the last straw!) Then we get Ken’s “when we die, we die together” line – which we first heard way back in episode 1! I get the sentiment, but there has to be a better way to say that. It just seems a bit too abbreviated – like something was lost in translation.

At this point Ryu informs us that the Mole has disappeared (again – and again, why was nobody keeping tabs on the Mole?!), so Ken suggests reducing altitude to find it. Bad idea. A Mole claw bursts through from underground and grabs the God Phoenix, trying to crush it. Both Ken and Ryu are tugging on the control lever to attempt to get away. For the second time this episode Jinpei is the one to remind us of the ship’s limitations when he replies to Ryu’s suggestion of firing a Bird Missile by saying they are too close to their target. Meanwhile no one notices Joe crawling across the floor (his Ninja stealth skills are pretty impressive! 😉).

While Ken is musing about Joe being unable to “bear the explosive force” of a Bird Missile fired at point blank range, Joe surprises everyone by pushing the big red button. (Maybe he should try crawling on the floor to get to the button more often – or maybe Ken is more distracted than usual!) The Mole Mecha comes to an explosive end and a shockwave causes the God Phoenix to spin like a top (or a centrifuge). Now I don’t think this is particularly accurate physics, but then again, I could be wrong. There is a prior occasion when firing a Bird Missile at a close target has caused the God Phoenix to get caught in a spin, but it was underwater (which somehow made more sense to me? I guess I should do some physics research!).

Anyhow, Joe has apparently been flung all the way across the command deck by the time Ken manages to pull the lever and get the God Phoenix flying level. He is now on the floor in front of the lift doors again, with Jun doing her best to look after him (at least someone is finally looking after him!). Ken runs toward Joe, but kicks a random (bloodless) metal fragment that he somehow immediately knows is the one from Joe’s head. Well, I guess they don’t usually have random bits of metal floating around loose on the ship, but it’s not as though the God Phoenix has come through the battle unscathed either. I wouldn’t have thought it was immediately obvious that it came from Joe’s head. Now, I don’t really mind that there is no blood on this piece of metal that has supposedly flung itself out of Joe’s grey matter – we haven’t really seen any blood in previous episodes, and when we do see blood in the series it’s very minimal. What I do find interesting is the fact that the metal has come out of Joe’s head without disturbing the bandage.

Ken is so ecstatic at the miraculous fragment removal that he stammers! Jun, meanwhile, is trying to lift up Joe unassisted, Jinpei is jumping for joy (Ryu is presumably busy flying the ship!) and Joe still looks deathly ill. Ken’s little speech about how they beat the Mole all thanks to him has no impact on Joe, who just wants to know where the puppy is. Nambu immediately answers this question, showing us the puppy for the first time since the ad break (and I bet we’re all very relieved to know the puppy’s okay!). Now, I’ve gotta ask. How long was Nambu listening/watching what was going on in the God Phoenix command deck? Does he have a constant live feed he can tap into whenever he likes? Or did he just happen to commence a video call in time to hear the question? And how long has he had the puppy with him?

Nambu is confident he can look after Joe now that the fragment has been removed (so he’s been listening/watching long enough to have heard that news), then gives a speech about how the Science Ninja Team is only at its full strength with all five of them, “so don’t forget the way you feel right now.” I’m not sure exactly what he means with that line – right now they’d mostly be feeling relieved and overjoyed (Joe’s going to live, and mission compete). I think they should remember how they felt when they were standing on the grass looking at their fallen Condor not knowing what to do! I think the point of his (fairly unnecessary) pep-talk is really that they have to stick together, look out for one another and work as a team?

And the episode ends with Joe finally sitting in his seat and able to drowsily open his eyes and see the fact that they are flying into another lovely Tatsunoko Sunrise.

Despite all its faults and bad science, somehow this episode still deserves to be considered up there with the best. So much of the emotional story is shown through body language and expressions without any dialogue. Silence adds to the emotional weight of important scenes. It’s not an episode heavy on exposition, instead it gives us so many neat character development snippets – particularly nice for those of us who need fodder for fan fiction! And all those questions I really want to come up with answers for! The final question . . . was this injury the beginning of the end for Joe?


End file.
